Today’s post is going to be a short one because I’ve been such a busy bee gearing up for what’s happening next week: Diamonds in the Library’s 3rd epic annual all-jewelry holiday gift guide. Woohoo!

Now: to the goodies. Today is all about these Van Cleef and Arpels turquoise and diamond earrings.

Holy moly. Is there any point in even writing anything? These Van Cleef and Arpels turquoise and diamond earrings are an explosion of glory, and my words can hardly make that any more obvious. May they grace a hundred thousand cocktail parties.

The facts:

These babies are from 1960, and are by the inestimable Van Cleef and Arpels. They’re two fanned rounds of creamy matched turquoise cabochons, centered by piles of brilliant cut diamonds and spiked with further brilliants around the outside of the pinwheels.

They’re 3.5 cm across, and the diamonds total a whole 8 carats. Not a typo. 8 carats of diamonds.

Be still my heart.

These Van Cleef and Arpels turquoise and diamond earrings were listed in a recent Bonhams auction. All images and info are thanks to Bonhams.

Last week I had the honor of attending what immediately became one of my favorite editorial events in the jewelry world: the AGTA Spectrum Awards Media Event. If you follow me on Instagram, you already know why I loved it – table after table of exceptional gemstone jewelry in a sun-filled penthouse venue.

I stayed for 5 hours.

The AGTA Spectrum awards – founded in 1984 – seek to recognize and promote fine jewelers who use colored gemstones and cultured pearls in exceptional fine jewelry designs. I’d followed the event for years, but AGTA Spectrum 2016 is the first time I was able to attend myself.

Here are my favorite of the pieces I saw at the AGTA Spectrum 2016 press event. Some of them overlap with the actual winners, some do not.

These babies from Gregore Morin of Gregore Joailliers were one of my very very favorites of the whole AGTA Spectrum 2016 event. Thin, perfectly hewn panels of lapis lazuli set with pink tourmaline in 18k yellow gold. To-die-for.

This ring from the fabulous Wendy Brandes is simply one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen in my life. It’s rose and white gold with platinum; studded with 4.5 cts of tsavorite garnets along with brown diamonds, white diamonds, rubies, and Kashi pearls.

Look at the dragon’s face – this is a tiny sculpture, not an accessory. Also? The tiny treasure chest really opens, revealing a minuscule dragon’s hoard of gemstones and pearls.

It’s from her Maneater series, so it has a secret: when you flip the ring over, you can see the body of a vanquished knight digesting in the dragon’s stomach. It’s called the Dragon and Knight ring.

This is the Erica Courtney “Starburst” necklace with a 15.25 carat opal, accented with pink spinels, demantoid garnets, and diamonds. I just love that chain with its bright, precious fringe.

Have you heard that emerald engagement rings are back? It was clearly the case at AGTA Spectrum 2016 – these two beauties by VALANI were my favorites. Cabochon and cushion, both exceptional.

Another super favorite of the day: this is the Galaxy bracelet from Michael Endlich of Pave Fine Jewelry. It’s silver with 22k yellow gold with sapphires and diamonds. It’s one of the subtler pieces I saw at AGTA Spectrum 2016, but I think it’s just fantastic.

Detail of the Galaxy bracelet. I love the texture and the understated colors with the rich yellow gold sprinkled across it.

These earrings from William Travis Jewelry were incredible – the gemstone components have their own glow.

Another very unique – but more understated – piece from William Travis Jewelry is this green tourmaline ring. The tourmaline is stunning, but what caught my eye was the setting: structural yellow gold with tiny, dangling rose gold chain fringes.

These brooches are both by Naomi Sarna Designs – one with a baroque freshwater cultured pearl and colored sapphires, amethysts and diamonds on both. Naomi Sarna had a number of pieces in the AGTA Spectrum 2016 showcase and I loved every single one.

Aren’t the colors on this wedding set wonderful? It’s mostly aquamarine (5.96 ct center stone) with tsavorite garnets and diamonds. By Robert Pellicca at JR Dunn Jewelers.

And that side view! Swoon.

This set falls right in with one of the most prominent trends I noticed among the AGTA Spectrum 2016 submissions – green and blue gemstones. Lots of emerald and tourmaline in particular.

How about these bi-color tourmaline pieces of heaven? By Julie Lamb.

I loved the color contrast and the details on these earrings by Brenda Smith. 22k gold leaves and cultured pearls on silver.

How perfectly lovely is this set of rings by Laurence Bruyninckx? 14k white and rose gold set with diamonds, pink tourmaline, and pink sapphires. I love the effect of the diversely clustered marquise stones.

I had a wonderful conversation once with Pamela Huizenga, the designer of this piece, about how she wished she could just attach precious stones to her skin. I’m glad she still has to make them into jewelry, because that’s how this fire opal stingray brooch happened. So good.

I had to put these of Annie Fensterstock earrings on as soon as I saw them. I claim these in the name of Team Brunette.

Hello, beautiful. I have a thing for antique snake rings, and I didn’t think they had a contemporary equivalent until I met this wonder by Juan Da Silva.

This bracelet was one of the pieces from AGTA Spectrum 2016 that I most wanted to added to my personal jewelry wardrobe. It’s by K Brunini Jewels, and it’s ridiculously cool. The joined triangles make it look like a starburst on your arm when it’s worn; the triangles feature black opals on one side and rich, brown cocobolo wood on the other side, with yellow diamonds for added pizzazz.

How’s this for a statement ring? By Jennifer R. Morin of Gregore Joailliers, this sterling silver ring features a 30.70 ct fire agate cabochon set in mother of pearl with green garnets. Such mesmerizing iridescence.

These pearl-on-pearl Finestro earrings were getting a lot of attention, and it’s not hard to see why. They’re not the flashiest, but the extremely cool texture of the tiny cultured freshwater pearls set into the opening in a larger freshwater cultured pearl is fascinating.

This spectacular trio can be separated and worn individually, but I love how they stack all together. The top ring is white gold with diamonds and a 5.84ct tanzanite, the middle has a 2.47 pink spinel with diamonds and small pink spinels, and the third ring has diamonds in white gold with a 4.56 ct red spinel. By Gulgun Buldanlioglu of Maya Fine Jewelry.

These Campbellian earrings won Best Use of Color and it’s not hard to see why. 17.05 carats of green tourmaline with 4.14 carats of emeralds. (You see what I mean about green gemstones trending?)

I’m not going to lie to you, I just wore this necklace around the event for a while. This peacock feather necklace by Robert Pellicca of J.R. Dunn Jewelers start with a 7.78 carat opal and just gets better from there.

THIS is the Tempest ring by Lindhardt Designs. Made from oxidized sterling silver and yellow sapphires, it’s another well-deserving award winner. So visually interesting, and much more comfortable to wear than you might expect.

I am apparently wearing it backwards in this photo – so please imagine it the other way around.

These babies were the very last piece I saw. The kind AGTA Spectrum folks has already called a car for me and I was waiting by the door with my purse and my coat when I realized I’d missed these earrings. I dropped my things on the ground (like a lady) and ran off to get one last photo. Totally worth it.

A huge thank you to every designer who submitted to AGTA Spectrum 2016: thank you for sending your beautiful work in where I could see it. Also special thanks to Michelle and Beth Anne for organizing such a fantastic event!

I have a treat for you today. I put out the general call on Instagram a couple of days ago for submissions for my 2015 jewelry gift guide. I’ve gotten a lot of wonderful emails already, but one in particular contained something I liked so much that I couldn’t wait to show you.

I’ve been around Ary Esha’s jewelry several times, but never managed to get a good look before this came into my inbox. The designer and I were actually just emailing about the JANY show, where she saw me across a crowd but couldn’t leave customers to talk to me just as I was peering around the crowds to get a look at her pieces but never managed to make it through.

Thanks to the magic of Dropbox, I can now look my fill at these beauties and so can you.

I enjoy the entire Ary Esha Galaxy line, but it’s the earrings that send me into hyperspace. No gravity between us; our love was automatic.

This particular pair is called the “Veela” earrings, which I’m going to assume is a Harry Potter reference because that makes me love them even more.

Not that I needed much encouragement. I love the delicate color combination of the rainbow moonstone briolettes in their amethyst halos, but what really kills me is that delicious negative space between the gemstones and the outer white gold border.

Zetus lapetus! How cool are these? The rich color juxtaposition of the big orange citrines with the lines of amethyst and floating golden loops studding with other gemstones.

Long, lovely, and lemoney. Actually, more like lemon-limey: these beauties are lemon quartz and peridot.

Need any more reason to love the Arya Easha Galaxy pieces? The designer uses only recycled precious metals and ethically sourced gemstones and conflict and devastation free diamonds. This is beauty that does no harm.

These are the Ara earrings. They’re the pair that interested me so much that I decided I couldn’t wait to show you these beauties. They have a lot going on: the 24 cts of blue topaz, the large peridot-encrusted arcs, the smaller, lightning or sharkbite shaped pink tourmaline zig-zags.

It took me a minute to take it all in. But I couldn’t help but love them. They’re just so interesting and colorful; I think the overall effect is fresh and appealing. I think these earrings would be gorgeous on anyone, but I have a special appreciation for earrings that I think will work on brunettes like myself (go team brunette!).

Do you love these Arya Esha Galaxy collection earrings as much as I do, darlings? Which pair is your favorite?

(If you don’t understand the weird phrases, don’t worry – I haven’t lost my mind, I’m just channeling Zenon. Please do yourself the favor of watching this music video.)

You know that thing when you run into the same person everywhere you go for a period of time? Like how I always ran into my friend’s mom on the DC metro, but never my own mom, even though we all worked in the same area.

That’s been happening to me with Jackie of Salt + Stone in a big way. First I see her designs on on Instagram, then on Pinterest, then I see that we have a college friend on common on Facebook (that one’s a little creepy – sorry, Jackie!), then I end up sharing a table at Jewelry’s Night Out with people who spent a significant part of the evening singing Jackie’s praises. There’s also the fact that we’re both writers/jewelry lovers AND, since my wedding, we have the same last name. We’re basically unofficial cousins.

Salt + Stone’s Jackie on how she discovered she wanted to be a jewelry designer:

“It all started with a trip to Buzios, Brazil for NYE in 2007. The place left a huge impression on my heart. The joie de vivre of the people was infectious, as were their creative pursuits. I met jewelers in fine jewelry galleries, hippies at the side of the road stringing together beads from the Amazon Rainforest, and was enthralled with all the variety of boutiques. I discovered jewelry made from the most bizarre materials: resins, coconut shells, hemp, vines, volcanic rock and more.

This is what had been missing from my life: jewelry! I had always been an artist, but my family steered me towards finance. This was a perfect marriage of the two disciplines: art and business!”

8 years later, Salt + Stone operates out of a Broolyn, NY studio and has a growing list of clients. Jackie herself also writes a column National Jeweler and recently accepted a newrole as Design Ambassador for JCK’s Design Center.

These arrow rings were actually my veeery first Salt + Stone experience: Michelle Graff wore a stack of them when we were both in Italy for VicenzaOro.

I enjoy a lot of Salt + Stone’s pieces, especially the little stingrays – but what really made me realize I was looking at something special was clicking through Salt + Stone’s gallery of custom made engagement rings. I love the idea of working a couple’s love story into a custom engagement ring, and even more than that I love the ways that Jackie was able to work subtle symbolism into her pieces without making the design feel contrived or overly on-the-nose.

In Jackie’s own words:

“I’ve made jewelry for 16-year-olds and 94-year-olds. I’ve made jewelry for both men and women from many creeds, colors, nationalities and sexual preferences. And the one thing that ties us all together is the love story. ‘Like’ attracts ‘like’ rings true here. I never gave up on the idea of a storybook romance, although my thoughts around what that looks like have shifted over the years. I treasure the little, sweet moments that two people share. It’s truly an honor to get to hear my clients talk about love and show their vulnerable side.”

The above is a technical drawing from the design process of one of Salt + Stone’s custom rings, the Roots of Love ring. The groom wanted to use two family heirloom diamonds and the bride-to-be was a floral designer; both the twin-diamond design and the organic inspiration are clear in both the drawing and the final piece.

This custom wedding set was designed for a couple who shared a love for The Fountain, the story of a a man goes searching for the tree of life so he and his dying wife can live together forever. The groom of this couple had also grown up on a farm full of apple trees – the very location he took his future bride to propose. (She said yes.)

This recent custom engagement ring features a stylized compass centered by a tiny diamond hidden on the back of the setting, to represent the couple’s love of adventure and their dedication to always find their way back to each other.

This glorious thing is the Treasure Chest ring – probably my very favorite of the posted custom designs. I love its geometric feel and the color contrast of the yellow gold with the purple sapphires and white diamonds.

I asked Jackie to tell me about an engagement ring design project was particularly special to her:

“The one that immediately comes to mind is called “Secret Garden”. My grandmother, Jean Stone, passed a few years ago. The family decided to give the youngest grandson her diamond from her engagement ring. I was truly floored and honored when he came to me to design his bride’s ring. It caused a flood of tears.

My grandmother was very proud of me when I was doing product development at Tiffany & Co. and would tell all her friends about it. It made me smile because grandma was tough. The project became extra special as my cousin’s girlfriend at the time loves flowers. We discovered after we designed the ring and pulled grandma’s stone out of the setting that it was an old miner and that it reflected in the shape of a flower. It was kismet!”

You already know I’m a fan of Todd Reed’s work: his unique aesthetic and devotion to showcasing the earth’s natural beauties are hard to forget. When I realized I was going to be in the same city as the flagship Todd Reed studio (Boulder, CO), I know that I wouldn’t be able to resist popping in.

The purpose of our trip was to see Mr. DitL’s BFF for his 30th birthday, but my patient husband understands that I have a hard time making any journey jewelry-free.

The flagship Todd Reed studio in Boulder is beautiful and on-brand from the outside in. The entire space was designed in line with Todd’s aesthetic, and it shows.

When you enter, you walk straight into this bright, airy showroom. The high ceilings, wood-and-metal fixtures, water feature, and lush indoor garden give the room a unique organic/industrial feeling that feels utterly peaceful and luxurious.

If you’re lucky enough to get to go into the back rooms (like I did!) you get to walk by this incredibly cool open workshop. Space and light everywhere, and the constant reminder that every piece you see is handmade by real live skilled artists right there.

After walking through this beautiful space, I reached the rear meeting room where the lovely Lauren – my guide for the day – had a tray full of jewelry waiting for me.

I’ve seen this ring’s cousin in beautifully textured yellow gold a while ago; I loved it just as much in white.

How about dainty earrings? I love the balance of the warm gold to the perfect rose but bubbles of the diamonds.

Most of what I saw at the Todd Reed studio was diamond-focused, but not all. This gorgeous teardrop of a pendant is green tourmaline.

A closer look at the rings from above! I think that big guy in the middle miiiiight have been my favorite of the day. That incredible faceted diamond in its sunburst of a setting.

This pendant.

I’d seen it before online, but I didn’t realize how extraordinary it is until I had it in my hand in front of a sunny window. The differently-colored marquise cut diamonds glow like stained glass when the light comes through.

I took about 80 photos just like this, trying to get this effect perfectly. What do you think?

I freaking love these earrings.

Those huge diamond slices with their large facets are just incredible. So glamorous, but not in a “look at me, look at me” way. The view this cut gives you of the natural stone is amazing.

I’d admired this cuff on Instagram months before; when I spotted it in one of the front cases of the Todd Reed studio I went right for it. It’s like diamond rain, captured in motion with golden bezels against a deliciously textured background.

That’s it for now, my dears! What do you think of Todd Reed’s distinctive style? Is it floating your boat?

I should have some more Todd Reed goodness coming your way next month…stay tuned. A huge thanks to Lauren for showing me around the Boulder Todd Reed studio and to Liz for arranging it!